Spreading the Wealth

With so many members of Congress facing weak (or no) opponents when they run for re-election, they
often have a surplus of campaign funds that can be spent elsewhere. In recent years - especially as the balance of
power in the House and Senate has remained close - members have been strongly encouraged to share their excess money
and deliver some of it to races that are truly competitive. Sometimes the money goes directly to the needy candidates;
sometimes it goes to party committees, which spread it to the most strategic races. The money is delivered in two ways:
either directly from the member's campaign committee or through contributions from the member's "leadership PAC."

Loading Chart

Loading Chart

Loading Chart

Loading Chart

Feel free to distribute or cite this material, but please credit the Center for Responsive Politics. For permission to reprint for commercial uses, such as textbooks, contact the Center.

Count Cash & Make Change

Sign up for our newsletter to track money’s influence on U.S. elections and public policy.

Except for the Revolving Door section, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License by OpenSecrets.org. To request permission for commercial use, please contact us.